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jessicadesamota's reviews
154 reviews
Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles
5.0
Broken Harbor by Catherine Cowles 🩷
Sparrow Falls, Book 3
Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️
Adult • Romantic Suspense
ARC Review
366 pages
🗓️ November 19
💙single mom
🩷forced proximity
💙woman on the run
🩷hockey hero
💙he spoils her
🩷baker heroine
💙hurt/comfort
🩷no 3rd act breakup
💙found family
📍”If we’re going to play with fire, let’s not settle for matches. We deserve fireworks and infernos.”
📍”I love you. With everything in me. All I am is yours. Brokenness and all.”
📍”Family is not defined by blood. It’s defined by how we care about one another. How we show up in good times and bad. How we love one another.”
I was not even halfway through this book when I realized Catherine had written a new favorite of mine. There was this connection. You know what I mean, don’t you?! That invisible string tying me up to it, to its characters… and to WHODUNNIT 👀👀👀👀 yeah, Catherine pull the rug under me on that one 😳
I love all the Colsons, last name notwithstanding. It’s one of my favorite small town families and one of my favorites by CC. Every single Colson has something special and unique they be bring to the table. Cope is no exception. And yes, I’m partial to hockey romance but even if that wasn’t the case… a broken hero is the easiest way to my heart. Pair that with a single mom on the run, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ⬅️ that’s the sound of me been a total goner.
Now, with all that said, Catherine didn’t stop there. Oh no, she wasn’t taking any prisoners. Absolute devastation. There’s no other reason for page 264. To have THAT cameo. It was most definitely to rest assure I wouldn’t make it out without losing part of my heart to this book. Well done 🥹💜 I will forever adore you for that!
So, go read Broken Harbor. Go fall in love with Broken Harbor. Go dream with Broken Harbor. Go make it your entire personality. I fully support it. I fully encourage it.
Sparrow Falls, Book 3
Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️
Adult • Romantic Suspense
ARC Review
366 pages
🗓️ November 19
💙single mom
🩷forced proximity
💙woman on the run
🩷hockey hero
💙he spoils her
🩷baker heroine
💙hurt/comfort
🩷no 3rd act breakup
💙found family
📍”If we’re going to play with fire, let’s not settle for matches. We deserve fireworks and infernos.”
📍”I love you. With everything in me. All I am is yours. Brokenness and all.”
📍”Family is not defined by blood. It’s defined by how we care about one another. How we show up in good times and bad. How we love one another.”
I was not even halfway through this book when I realized Catherine had written a new favorite of mine. There was this connection. You know what I mean, don’t you?! That invisible string tying me up to it, to its characters… and to WHODUNNIT 👀👀👀👀 yeah, Catherine pull the rug under me on that one 😳
I love all the Colsons, last name notwithstanding. It’s one of my favorite small town families and one of my favorites by CC. Every single Colson has something special and unique they be bring to the table. Cope is no exception. And yes, I’m partial to hockey romance but even if that wasn’t the case… a broken hero is the easiest way to my heart. Pair that with a single mom on the run, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ⬅️ that’s the sound of me been a total goner.
Now, with all that said, Catherine didn’t stop there. Oh no, she wasn’t taking any prisoners. Absolute devastation. There’s no other reason for page 264. To have THAT cameo. It was most definitely to rest assure I wouldn’t make it out without losing part of my heart to this book. Well done 🥹💜 I will forever adore you for that!
So, go read Broken Harbor. Go fall in love with Broken Harbor. Go dream with Broken Harbor. Go make it your entire personality. I fully support it. I fully encourage it.
Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole
5.0
Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole 💛
Kindred’s Curse, Book 1
Interconnected standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️
Adult • Fantasy Romance
Hardcover Review
401 pages
💛 romantasy
💚 enemies to lovers
💛 love triangle (but not really, trust me)
💚 forbidden romance
💛 rebels
💚 secret identity
💛 chosen one
📍”Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t feel my magic?”
📍“What if our story isn’t over, Diem Bellator? What if it’s only beginning?”
📍“I’d seized on the first thing I’d truly wanted for myself in as long as I could remember. A want so fierce that, with her blade slicing through the flesh of my neck, I’d gladly accepted whatever consequence might come.”
I’m an easy 5 star giver. But not all 5 star reads are shaped the same. See, I’ll give it a full 5 star rating when I was thoroughly entertained and wouldn’t change a thing about the book. But some deserve more.
Some are made of more. Because some I don’t just read. Some I feel. Some craft this connection that makes it impossible for me to disassociate and distance myself and just enjoy. No. I feel their pain and cry. I feel their joy and smile. I laugh when they laugh and I hope when they hope. I fall for the morally gray who should be my enemy. I cringe when the best friend seeks more.
Penn Cole wrote the latter. She wrote a set of characters that crawled under my skin, navigated my body until they found my heart, and who made my every thought their own.
Every fire starts with a spark.
I’m ready to see the whole thing 🔥 .
Kindred’s Curse, Book 1
Interconnected standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️
Adult • Fantasy Romance
Hardcover Review
401 pages
💛 romantasy
💚 enemies to lovers
💛 love triangle (but not really, trust me)
💚 forbidden romance
💛 rebels
💚 secret identity
💛 chosen one
📍”Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t feel my magic?”
📍“What if our story isn’t over, Diem Bellator? What if it’s only beginning?”
📍“I’d seized on the first thing I’d truly wanted for myself in as long as I could remember. A want so fierce that, with her blade slicing through the flesh of my neck, I’d gladly accepted whatever consequence might come.”
I’m an easy 5 star giver. But not all 5 star reads are shaped the same. See, I’ll give it a full 5 star rating when I was thoroughly entertained and wouldn’t change a thing about the book. But some deserve more.
Some are made of more. Because some I don’t just read. Some I feel. Some craft this connection that makes it impossible for me to disassociate and distance myself and just enjoy. No. I feel their pain and cry. I feel their joy and smile. I laugh when they laugh and I hope when they hope. I fall for the morally gray who should be my enemy. I cringe when the best friend seeks more.
Penn Cole wrote the latter. She wrote a set of characters that crawled under my skin, navigated my body until they found my heart, and who made my every thought their own.
Every fire starts with a spark.
I’m ready to see the whole thing 🔥 .
Things I Wish I Said by Gracie Graham
5.0
Things I Wish I Said by Gracie Graham 🩵
Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Upper YA • Sports Romance
ARC Review
544 pages
🗓️ November 7
🩵baseball/soccer romance
🤍fake dating
🩵cancer journey
🤍dark humor
🩵healing through love
🤍dual POV
🩵HEA
📍 “And that’s what love would have to be for me. The oxygen in the room. The breath in my lungs. Because nothing short of that would ever convince me to put my heart on the line.”
📍“Hoping for tomorrow while not living for today is f exhausting.”
📍”But that’s how it always seems to go with us. She’s perpetual f sunshine to my blackened heart.”
Dear Gracie,
I made it in time 🫶🏼 Happy release day 🫶🏼
Dear Ryleigh and Grayson,
The amount of feels you put me through should be illegal. And I very much thank you for that. I truly needed that cry yesterday. I truly needed that hope, those laughs through tears at another one of Ry’s self deprecating jokes. I needed to go through that journey with Grayson. And you held my hand more than I ever held yours.
It’s always good to disassociate with a book.
But it’s best to disassociate with a book this good.
While I’m sure Gracie Graham is amazing at many things, she was definitely born to write. Loved the writing on this so much 🩵
Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Upper YA • Sports Romance
ARC Review
544 pages
🗓️ November 7
🩵baseball/soccer romance
🤍fake dating
🩵cancer journey
🤍dark humor
🩵healing through love
🤍dual POV
🩵HEA
📍 “And that’s what love would have to be for me. The oxygen in the room. The breath in my lungs. Because nothing short of that would ever convince me to put my heart on the line.”
📍“Hoping for tomorrow while not living for today is f exhausting.”
📍”But that’s how it always seems to go with us. She’s perpetual f sunshine to my blackened heart.”
Dear Gracie,
I made it in time 🫶🏼 Happy release day 🫶🏼
Dear Ryleigh and Grayson,
The amount of feels you put me through should be illegal. And I very much thank you for that. I truly needed that cry yesterday. I truly needed that hope, those laughs through tears at another one of Ry’s self deprecating jokes. I needed to go through that journey with Grayson. And you held my hand more than I ever held yours.
It’s always good to disassociate with a book.
But it’s best to disassociate with a book this good.
While I’m sure Gracie Graham is amazing at many things, she was definitely born to write. Loved the writing on this so much 🩵
Under Pink Skies by Alex Chrisco
3.0
Under Pink Skies by Alex Chrisco 🩷
Watford Sweethearts, Book 1
Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Romance
ARC Review
291 pages
🗓️ November 15
🩷second chance
💚small town
🩷working together
💚first love
🩷closed door
📍”For Abbie, I realized, I’d wait forever.”
Pink skies is exactly what I imagine when I think of this book. Cute. Cozy. Soft.
I love second chance.
I love small town.
I love great side characters that bring warmth to a story.
This book had all three. And what a cute read it was, even with the heavy topics that kept coming.
Thank you so much for this ARC.
Watford Sweethearts, Book 1
Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Romance
ARC Review
291 pages
🗓️ November 15
🩷second chance
💚small town
🩷working together
💚first love
🩷closed door
📍”For Abbie, I realized, I’d wait forever.”
Pink skies is exactly what I imagine when I think of this book. Cute. Cozy. Soft.
I love second chance.
I love small town.
I love great side characters that bring warmth to a story.
This book had all three. And what a cute read it was, even with the heavy topics that kept coming.
Thank you so much for this ARC.
Forever Wild by Rebecca Jenshak
5.0
Forever Wild by Rebecca Jenshak 🩷
Wildcats Hockey, Book 5
Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Sports Romance
ARC Review
363 pages
🗓️ November 7
🩷hockey romance
💙Teammate’s sister
🩷age gap
💙nurse to health
🩷close proximity
💙casual to more
🩷grumpy x sunshine
📍”I didn’t like the way he looked at you.”
“How’d he look at me?”
“Like he wanted what was mine.”
I started my Wild journey all backwards. I started with Jack and Everly. But in so many ways, it felt right. It felt like a journey meant for me. A journey to fall in love with Wildcat hockey, to fall in love with a group of friends that feel more like family, a journey to care more than it’s probably healthy 😜
Jack’s grumpy rear end won me immediately. There’s just something about grumps and how they slowly melt away for that one person who insists on infiltrating every barrier, every wall.
Ev was this amalgamation of things. Just like me and you and so many more. I truly believe that a good portion of us are more than just one thing and that’s beautiful. We can be strong and still be vulnerable at times. Confident and yet insecure about so many things. Loud but barely a whisper about stuff we hold dear. That’s Ev. A simple girl with so many layers.
Dear Rebecca, I finished this in 24 hours. I would’ve finished it in half that time if not for life. It was truly spectacular and now I can’t wait to go back and meet all the Wild boys. 🫶🏼
Wildcats Hockey, Book 5
Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Sports Romance
ARC Review
363 pages
🗓️ November 7
🩷hockey romance
💙Teammate’s sister
🩷age gap
💙nurse to health
🩷close proximity
💙casual to more
🩷grumpy x sunshine
📍”I didn’t like the way he looked at you.”
“How’d he look at me?”
“Like he wanted what was mine.”
I started my Wild journey all backwards. I started with Jack and Everly. But in so many ways, it felt right. It felt like a journey meant for me. A journey to fall in love with Wildcat hockey, to fall in love with a group of friends that feel more like family, a journey to care more than it’s probably healthy 😜
Jack’s grumpy rear end won me immediately. There’s just something about grumps and how they slowly melt away for that one person who insists on infiltrating every barrier, every wall.
Ev was this amalgamation of things. Just like me and you and so many more. I truly believe that a good portion of us are more than just one thing and that’s beautiful. We can be strong and still be vulnerable at times. Confident and yet insecure about so many things. Loud but barely a whisper about stuff we hold dear. That’s Ev. A simple girl with so many layers.
Dear Rebecca, I finished this in 24 hours. I would’ve finished it in half that time if not for life. It was truly spectacular and now I can’t wait to go back and meet all the Wild boys. 🫶🏼
The Wolf and the Witch by Charissa Weaks
he Wolf and The Witch by Charissa Weaks ❤️
Witch Walker, Book 3
Series, Novella
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Fantasy Romance
Paperback
280 pages
❤️enemies to lovers
🤎curses
❤️close proximity
🤎gods and witches
❤️banter
🤎found family
📍“You smell like bliss and ruin at the same time.”
📍”I have crossed from the living realm to the realm of the dead. I have walked where only spirits trod. Now I know I did it for her.”
📍”Forgive me, little bird.”
📍”Because my little morning star. Sometimes, even the most beautiful things grow teeth.”
📍”I never could resist a rose. No matter how many thorns it bore.”
My last book of October and I can’t think of a single better way of ending my favorite month.
The way this series has easily become entwined with my soul in ways I didn’t foresee. What started as curiosity sparked by booksta, quickly has become an obsession and I can’t see myself ever not thinking about Raina, Alexis, Nephele and Neri. I won’t think of the other two or else my heart will shatter and that’s not the type of energy I’m bringing to Halloween 🫣
Charissa Weaks has crafted a world where I want to live forever. Masterfully done. One of the best fantasy series and so cr!minally underrated.
Witch Walker, Book 3
Series, Novella
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Fantasy Romance
Paperback
280 pages
❤️enemies to lovers
🤎curses
❤️close proximity
🤎gods and witches
❤️banter
🤎found family
📍“You smell like bliss and ruin at the same time.”
📍”I have crossed from the living realm to the realm of the dead. I have walked where only spirits trod. Now I know I did it for her.”
📍”Forgive me, little bird.”
📍”Because my little morning star. Sometimes, even the most beautiful things grow teeth.”
📍”I never could resist a rose. No matter how many thorns it bore.”
My last book of October and I can’t think of a single better way of ending my favorite month.
The way this series has easily become entwined with my soul in ways I didn’t foresee. What started as curiosity sparked by booksta, quickly has become an obsession and I can’t see myself ever not thinking about Raina, Alexis, Nephele and Neri. I won’t think of the other two or else my heart will shatter and that’s not the type of energy I’m bringing to Halloween 🫣
Charissa Weaks has crafted a world where I want to live forever. Masterfully done. One of the best fantasy series and so cr!minally underrated.
Fragile by Meghan Hollie
Fragile by Meghan Hollie 🩷
5.0
Fragile by Meghan Hollie 🩷
Cedar Lakes University, Book 2
Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
NA • Sports Romance
ARC Review
406 pages
🗓️ November 5
🩷football player/cheerleader romance
❤️childhood friends to lovers
🩷best friend’s sister
❤️college romance
🩷no 3rd act breakup
❤️secret relationship
📍“Kissing Quinn was like waking up on Christmas morning to snow. I’m in trouble.”
📍”Falling in love with Miles was never a choice. It always felt inevitable.”
📍”She tastes like chocolate and cinnamon and everything about her feels like home.”
So, I panicked and signed up for this ARC twice. In my defense I had none 🎶 (what, you don’t quote Taylor Swift any chance you get? No, just me? Oh well 😌) But seriously, after that first CLU book, I was hooked. And also… I knew this one was going to be special. I needed it as soon as possible 😭
And to my husband’s dismay… I was right yet again 😜 This one was special.
This one was for the readers who feel so much, all the time, everywhere.
This was for all of us who, at some point, felt like we weren’t enough.
This was… everything.
Quinn is my book best friend.
Miles, the book boyfriend who I will always want to hug not only because he needs it but because I need it too.
Seb and Indie are still the standard.
Hudson, I see you.
Jay, estou pronta. (I’m ready)
Quicksilver by Callie Hart
5.0
Quicksilver by Callie Hart 🩶
Fae & Alchemy, Book 1
Series
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️
Adult • Fantasy Romance
Paperback Review
622 pages
🩶dislike to love
🦋fated mates
🩶close proximity
🦋found family
🩶grumpy x grumpy
📍”I always know where you are, Little Osha.”
📍”Don’t call her Sunshine.”
“Why not?”
“Because she is moonlight. The mist that shrouds the mountains. The bite of electricity in the air before a storm. The smoke that rolls across a battlefield before the ki!!ing starts. You have no idea what she is. What she could be. You should call her Majesty.”
Ask me if this book lives up to the hype!
Go ahead… asks me.
“Does it live up to the hype?”
Great question. Thank you for asking. The answer is simple: YES.
It is also complicated. Does the sun merely live up to the idea of light? What about the warmth it provides…
This book doesn’t just live up to the hype. This book is the standard of what should be hyped.
Fisher. Saeris. 5 stars. Easy.
{this is also the first time a pronunciation guide actually aligns 💯 with how I would pronounce all names and for that alone it deserves some extra million stars}
Fae & Alchemy, Book 1
Series
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️
Adult • Fantasy Romance
Paperback Review
622 pages
🩶dislike to love
🦋fated mates
🩶close proximity
🦋found family
🩶grumpy x grumpy
📍”I always know where you are, Little Osha.”
📍”Don’t call her Sunshine.”
“Why not?”
“Because she is moonlight. The mist that shrouds the mountains. The bite of electricity in the air before a storm. The smoke that rolls across a battlefield before the ki!!ing starts. You have no idea what she is. What she could be. You should call her Majesty.”
Ask me if this book lives up to the hype!
Go ahead… asks me.
“Does it live up to the hype?”
Great question. Thank you for asking. The answer is simple: YES.
It is also complicated. Does the sun merely live up to the idea of light? What about the warmth it provides…
This book doesn’t just live up to the hype. This book is the standard of what should be hyped.
Fisher. Saeris. 5 stars. Easy.
{this is also the first time a pronunciation guide actually aligns 💯 with how I would pronounce all names and for that alone it deserves some extra million stars}
The Invitation by Adriana Locke
5.0
The Invitation by Adriana Locke 💜
The Brewer Family, Book 3
Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️
Adult • Romance
ARC Review
324 pages
🗓️ OUT TODAY!!!!!
💜enemies to lovers
🤍fake relationship
💜close proximity
🤍the best banter you’ll ever read
💜one cabin, one sleeping bag
🤍no 3rd act breakup
💜cutest dog
📍“She has a streak of dirt across her cheek, and I want to laugh, but she’ll think I’m laughing at her. In reality, I just think she’s adorable.”
📍“I wonder if I ever really h@ted her at all. Maybe what I h@ted was that she h@ted me.”
📍“I’m sitting here right now hoping that it rains forever. Because if we walk out of here and I never get to experience this again, I want as many memories with you as I can get.”
I fell in love this week.
Hopelessly, thoroughly in love.
Don’t worry, my husband is totally fine with it. Because I fell in love with a book. A book that feels like a kindred spirit. A book that I immediately recognized as *my* book.
The Invitation st0le my heart. And, honestly, I don’t want it back. Keep it. Forever.
There’s something special about enemies to lovers, isn’t it? But I bet you haven’t read one like this. The banter is just insanely amazing. All the time. 🤌🏼
I haven’t been this entertained by a set of characters in a good minute.
It’s wonderful to be in love… with a book 🫶🏼
The Brewer Family, Book 3
Interconnected Standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️
Adult • Romance
ARC Review
324 pages
🗓️ OUT TODAY!!!!!
💜enemies to lovers
🤍fake relationship
💜close proximity
🤍the best banter you’ll ever read
💜one cabin, one sleeping bag
🤍no 3rd act breakup
💜cutest dog
📍“She has a streak of dirt across her cheek, and I want to laugh, but she’ll think I’m laughing at her. In reality, I just think she’s adorable.”
📍“I wonder if I ever really h@ted her at all. Maybe what I h@ted was that she h@ted me.”
📍“I’m sitting here right now hoping that it rains forever. Because if we walk out of here and I never get to experience this again, I want as many memories with you as I can get.”
I fell in love this week.
Hopelessly, thoroughly in love.
Don’t worry, my husband is totally fine with it. Because I fell in love with a book. A book that feels like a kindred spirit. A book that I immediately recognized as *my* book.
The Invitation st0le my heart. And, honestly, I don’t want it back. Keep it. Forever.
There’s something special about enemies to lovers, isn’t it? But I bet you haven’t read one like this. The banter is just insanely amazing. All the time. 🤌🏼
I haven’t been this entertained by a set of characters in a good minute.
It’s wonderful to be in love… with a book 🫶🏼
Tempting Promises by Corinne Michaels
5.0
Tempting Promises by Corinne Michaels 💚
Whitlock Family, Book 3
Interconnected standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Romance
Paperback Review
364 pages
💚enemies to lovers
💜sister’s ex-boyfriend
💚rival farms
💜small town
💚forced proximity
💜only one bed and one sleeping bag
💚secret fling to more
💜3rd act wobble
📍“They say there’s a thin line between love and hate, what do you say we figure out what side we’re on?”
📍“I don’t h*te you at all.”
This is how you pull off an unforgettable enemies to lovers. The banter between these two was the
🔥st thing I’ve read in a minute. True enemies who happened to also be rivals and maybe… just maybe… who want to be something else entirely as well 👀
{And isn’t Charlotte the prettiest name? 😜 No need to answer that. I know it is because I have impeccable taste 💁🏻♀️🤣}
I’ve yet to read a Rowan who doesn’t deliver big time. This Whitlock was no exception. He had me going through all the romance stages. Easily my top Whitlock brother. *sigh*
Who knew a sprained ankle could be this heavenly 😌
Corinne Michaels has me unable to consume these books in any other way than devouring them in one day. These family dynamics intertwined with all the romance has me glued to these pages. Every book in this series has been unputdownable and I can’t wait to read B’s book.
Whitlock Family, Book 3
Interconnected standalone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Adult • Romance
Paperback Review
364 pages
💚enemies to lovers
💜sister’s ex-boyfriend
💚rival farms
💜small town
💚forced proximity
💜only one bed and one sleeping bag
💚secret fling to more
💜3rd act wobble
📍“They say there’s a thin line between love and hate, what do you say we figure out what side we’re on?”
📍“I don’t h*te you at all.”
This is how you pull off an unforgettable enemies to lovers. The banter between these two was the
🔥st thing I’ve read in a minute. True enemies who happened to also be rivals and maybe… just maybe… who want to be something else entirely as well 👀
{And isn’t Charlotte the prettiest name? 😜 No need to answer that. I know it is because I have impeccable taste 💁🏻♀️🤣}
I’ve yet to read a Rowan who doesn’t deliver big time. This Whitlock was no exception. He had me going through all the romance stages. Easily my top Whitlock brother. *sigh*
Who knew a sprained ankle could be this heavenly 😌
Corinne Michaels has me unable to consume these books in any other way than devouring them in one day. These family dynamics intertwined with all the romance has me glued to these pages. Every book in this series has been unputdownable and I can’t wait to read B’s book.